The reaction to The Great Get Together has surprised even Brendan Cox

The events have been about bringing communities together - a message that Jo always fought for, and something her family wants to keep going.

On June 16 past year Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a far-right extremist in Birstall, near her constituency of Bateley and Spen.

"Not only did it give us a focal point for our Get Together, it also means that staff can use it for lunch breaks which is good for their wellbeing, as it gets them away from their ward or computer".

"The question is how do we channel that - and I hope we channel it in a way that brings our community together [and] emphasises those things that we have in common". His tribute to the life and career of his wife - a young Labour Party MP heralded as a champion for women, immigrants and the vulnerable - helped him "process what has happened".

The Great Get Together is based on the message in her maiden speech in Parliament that "we have more in common than that which divides us".

Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour this week, Cox said he wrote the book for those "who wanted to learn more about her - people who felt she stood for something". "I think that's an admirable thing for them to do".

It was organised by Mrs Cox's husband Brendan on the weekend of the anniversary of her death.

Mr Cox said he was "awed" by the way in which the United Kingdom had embraced his wish for communities to come together.

Right-wing loner Thomas Mair was given a whole life term after being convicted of her murder at the Old Bailey in November.

She said the response to the Great Get Together showed people had an appetite for something positive after the "really horrendous" things that had happened in the past 12 months. A desire for unity and togetherness rather than the divisiveness of politics and the public debate in recent years.

Mr Parmar himself came to Bolton from Nairobi, Kenya, almost 50 years ago, and said how important it was to support people and groups who might not otherwise easily integrate into the community.

"Jo Cox was an inspirational MP and the Great Get Together is in the spirit of that". "So it's not as if today is actually very different for us in lots of ways".

He said: "We've hopefully created the space that people can come together and talk".

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